The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a research-intensive institution with a long tradition and commitment to educating dental students, graduate dentists, and other graduate and professional students. The objective of this training program is to provide a rigorous training environment for clinician (DDS/DMD, MD), basic (PhD) and baccalaureate scientists to enable them to pursue academic careers in oral health research. The mission is to foster novel, mentored research highly relevant to oral health by specific curriculum aims in three areas: (1) Bioengineering and Bone Biology, (2) Head and Neck Cancer, and (3) Microbiology and Immunity. A comprehensive interdisciplinary program links trainees to mentors at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Molecular Biology Institute, School of Engineering School, School of Medicine, and the School of Public Health. The pool of applicants is diverse and includes the following categories of trainees: (1) dentists and physicians pursuing postdoctoral degrees (PhD or MS in Clinical Research) or non-degree training; (2) individuals seeking integrated training in dental research (DDS/PhD); (3) dental students and junior/mid-career faculty members seeking short-term training opportunities; (4) predoctoral students pursuing the PhD in oral health; (5) post-PhD candidates desiring additional research experience in the oral health fields targeted by this training grant. The training program will be administered by a Director and Associate Directors, Steering Committee, and an Advisory Oversight Board consisting of five senior academicians and administrators actively involved in fundamental and clinical research in the health sciences. The UCLA Fundamental Clinical Training Program builds upon the research and mentoring expertise of the faculty, as well as the outstanding applicant pool. Trainees of this program are expected to make significant contributions to understanding and application of biomedical research in oral health, in addition to be competently prepared for independent careers in clinical and fundamental oral health research. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]